After December was pretty much cancelled in 2020, Jon and I are both very excited about the festivities this year. However, we know how draining Christmas can be, especially as we get older, so we always try and make sure we our in the best possible position health wise ahead of the big day. I don’t know about you but I always find that so often illness and fatigue hits just as we are winding down for Christmas. I think it’s because we are so busy running around shopping, rushing to school events and meeting friends for drinks that by the time we slow down we are exhausted and our immune system is having towork flat out to keep us going.
It’s clear that as we age our body’s immune response starts to diminish and therefore, we are more likely to pick up infections. So what can we do to support our immune system and give our bodies the best chance to stay in good health through December?
Although there’s no scientific links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function we all know how much better we feel if we are getting enough sleep and eating well, so that’s always our first recommendation. We might be staying out late more frequently this month, so it’s really important to balance that with lots of early nights. Follow good sleep hygiene and tuck yourself up with a book rather than sitting in front of a screen before bed when you can. And we really recommend a warm bath and then a cool room to get your body the right temperature which can make a huge difference to your sleep.
We don’t know exactly why this is, but there does appear to be a connection between nutrition and immunity in those of a certain age, therefore it’s very important that we maintain a varied and healthy diet to help support our immune system. We know how difficult this can be over the Christmas period with mince pies and mulled wine at every corner, so here’s our top tips for eating well in December.
📌 Try and include lots of citrus fruits in your diet. They are high in vitamin C which is thought to increase the production of white blood cells, which are key to fighting infections. There’s a reason why Santa puts a satsuma in our stocking!
📌 Make sure you regularly add a large helping of green veg like Brussel sprouts, spinach, or broccoli to your turkey. It’s packed with vitamins A, C and E as well a great source of fibre and antioxidants which is really important at our age.
📌 Finally add some live yogurt to your breakfast. The cultures in live yogurt can stimulate your immune system and it’s a great source of protein and vitamin D. We always start our day with a healthy smoothie full of live yogurt, nuts, and blueberries. Once we’ve had this, we know we have some goodness in us, in case the rest of the day is sausage rolls and stollen. Keep an eye on our Instagram page as we will be sharing our recipe soon!
If you think you are not getting enough vitamins from your diet, then you can always supplement them with a daily multivitamin. We use a vitamin D spray daily to keep our levels up over the winter months. However, always speak to your doctor for more advice before taking new supplements.
Exercise as we know is very important for maintaining our health and therefore boosting our immunity. So try to keep some movement going during December, although we know it’s hard to fit it all in and that often exercise can be the thing to drops off our to do list at this time of year. We are lucky enough to have a infrared sauna at home and we regularly use this followed by a cold shower as the health benefits can be amazing. The hot/cold process triggers the blood vessels to constrict rapidly elevating blood pressure and increasing blood flow to the body. It can increase your heart rate and adrenalin and also releases endorphins which are a great mood lifter. We certainly feel more relaxed and rested after the experience and the heat helps relieve any sore muscles we have. We appreciate not everyone has access to a sauna, but you can get the same effect by simply having a hot shower followed by a cold one.
Lastly if you are out and about more than normal don’t forget to keep washing your hands and wear a mask. They are a really simple things to do but it can make all the difference. We really hope you have an amazing Christmas with all your favourite people.
See you in the new year.
Sally & Jon
x
